The RSPCA is leading the charge to have South Australia's 2019 duck and quail hunting season cancelled.
The organisation has joined with other animal welfare groups in writing to Environment Minister David Spiers calling for an end to the recreational shooting of native birds because of animal cruelty.
"There is irrefutable evidence of the inevitable wounding of ducks due to the use of shotguns," RSPCA animal welfare advocate Rebekah Eyers said.
"Pellets from a shotgun spread out in a random pattern, making it impossible to guarantee a kill, even if the aim is perfect."
SA's 2019 duck hunting season will run from March 16 to June 30 and the season for quail from February 16 to August 31.
Shooters will be allowed to take eight ducks and 15 quail each day, numbers the government said reflected current environmental conditions and game bird numbers.
"The decision to restrict the 2019 season will still enable hunters to enjoy a good season, but also sustainably manage populations for the future," Mr Spiers said.
But animal welfare groups said the SA hunting season would be conducted at a time of declining waterbird numbers over eastern and southern Australia and the severe impact of the drought on wetlands.
Birds SA vice president Jeff Groves said it was also likely that protected birds would be shot and killed.
"The reality is that non-target species, including some classified as endangered, are inevitably shot," Mr Groves said.
Duck and quail hunters in South Australia must hold a valid gun licence and a permit and duck hunters must have passed a waterfowl identification test.
Bool Lagoon in SA's southeast will be closed to hunters, and the Australasian blue-winged shoveler will be excluded from hunting due to ongoing concerns about bird numbers.
